A better future

A new book argues that Russian President Vladimir Putin is being
underestimated in dangerous and costly ways by the U.S. and its western
allies, especially in one critical sector: energy. In THE COLDER
WAR: How
the Global Energy Trade Slipped from America's Grasp (Wiley;
on sale Nov. 10, 2014; hardcover; $29.95), analyst Marin Katusa
makes the case that Putin is exploiting Russia’s new role as the world’s
leading energy supplier (the country exports more oil than the UAE,
Kuwait and Iraq combined; has world’s largest natural gas reserves; and
is the top uranium exporter) to strong-arm governments and reassert its
global importance.

Just last month an agreement was reached that Russia would provide
Ukraine with heating energy for the winter. This is just the latest move
in a long-running battle between the two nations for control over the
abundant natural resources in the region, which Katusa believes is at
the heart of the current violence there. But the implications of Russian
energy dominance reach even further than its immediate neighbors, he
writes in THE COLDER WAR. Russia already supplies much of
the European Union’s energy, controls pipelines and other transportation
means for oil and natural gas throughout Eurasia, and is the world’s
leading supplier of the materials needed by all nuclear power plants.
This gives Russia considerable influence over scores of nations, and the
impact it has on its relations with others—such as the U.S.—can’t be
ignored.

Among the topics Katusa can discuss in an
interview:

Why energy is at the heart of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine,
and why there will not be a swift resolution;

Why Vladimir Putin believes Russia’s natural resources are the key to
making his nation a world leader again;

Why the U.S.’s belief that fracking and liquid natural gas will lead
the nation to energy independence is wrong;

How Russia has slowly come to dominate almost every part of the
process of creating nuclear energy, and how this affects plants as far
away as the United States;

How Russia has managed to become the number one supplier of natural
gas to Europe, and what this means for its political power there;

Why Russia would like to do away with the petrodollar, and thus take
away the power that American currency has in the world economy today;

What the U.S. and other nations can do to counter these moves by
Russia and protect their energy supplies and political futures; and

How Putin has consolidated his government’s control over the natural
resource sector through deals with multinational corporation and
oligarchs.

Katusa, 36, is one of the leading experts on—and most successful
portfolio managers in—the energy and resource exploration sectors. Since
2007, has been the chief energy investment strategist for Casey
Research. He is also a regular contributor to the Business News Network
(BNN), and has been interviewed by global media outlets such as CNBC,
RT, CBC, Bloomberg and Forbes.

THE COLDER WAR is a timely and fascinating look at Vladimir
Putin’s master plan to make Russia a world leader again, and what this
could mean for everyone’s energy consumption in the decades to come.